Strategies & Information:

Combines science of chemistry with discipline of engineering to solve problems and develop efficiency.

Develop exceptional interpersonal skills.

Acquire technical work experience during college years.

Area:

Civil

Sub-Area:

Structural

Urban and Community Planning

Construction

Environmental

Water Resources

Transportation and Pipeline

Geotechnical

Photogrammetry, Surveying and Mapping

Materials

Employers:

Construction industry

Engineering or architectural firms

Utility companies

Oil companies

Telecommunications businesses

Manufacturing companies

Consulting firms

Railroads

State and federal government agencies

Strategies & Information:

Broad discipline of "doers" providing service to the community through development and improvement. Works extensively with other professionals involved with the community. Provides opportunity to work outdoors.

Learn to work well within a team.

Develop strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Develop physical stamina for outdoor work.

Get experience in organizing and directing workers and materials.

Ability to visualize objects in three dimensions is helpful.

Demand has remained steady due to broad nature of discipline.

States may require licensing or registration.

Area:

Electrical / Computer

Sub-Area:

Power Electronics

Power Systems

Communications

Electronics

Control Systems

Digital Signal Processing

Microelectronics

Image Processing & Robotics

Computer Engineering

Plasma Engineering

Computer Vision

Employers:

Manufacturing firms and industry including:

Aeronautical/Aerospace

Automotive

Business machines

Professional and scientific equipment

Consumer products

Chemical and petrochemical

Computers

Construction

Defense

Electric utilities

Electronics

Environmental

Food and beverage

Glass, ceramics, and metals

Machine tools

Mining and metallurgy

Nuclear

Oceanography

Pulp and paper

Textiles

Transportation

Water and wastewater

Public utilities

Federal government including:

Armed forces

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Institutes of Health

Bureau of Standards

Department of Defense

Various commissions

Consulting firms

Free-lance consulting

Strategies & Information:

A field in touch with a wide and growing range of applications such as high speed and wireless communication, exploration of outer space, and a revolution in medical diagnosis and treatment.

Develop effective verbal and written communication skills.

Gain experience in team work.

Acquire capacity for details.

Develop interpersonal skills.

Obtain research experience.

Area:

Industrial

Sub-Area:

Operations Research

Applied Behavioral Science Systems

Manufacturing Management

Information Engineering

Computer Systems Design and Development

Employers:

Manufacturing industries

Accounting firms

Retail distribution organizations

Banks and financial institutions

Hospitals and healthcare organizations

Educational and public service agencies

Transportation industries

Construction industries

Public utilities

Electrical and electronics machinery industries

Consulting firms

Strategies & Information:

Discipline links management and operations by improving productivity through a "big picture" approach; serves human needs and works with people.

Take courses in psychology, sociology and anthropology to learn more about people and how they behave.

Engineers need to think in scientific and mathematical terms, have ability to study data, sort out important facts, solve problems, and be logical thinkers. Creativity is useful.

Other helpful traits include intellectual curiosity, technical aptitude, perseverance, ability to communicate and work well with others, a commitment to teamwork, and a basic understanding of the economic and environmental context in which engineering is practiced.

Develop excellent verbal and written communications skills including presentation and technical report writing.

All states and the District of Columbia require registration of engineers whose work may affect the life, health, or safety of the public.

Professional or technical societies confer certification in some areas.

Join related professional organizations.

Most fields offer overseas opportunities with businesses or government agencies.

Because of rapid changes in most engineering fields, both continued education and keeping abreast of new developments are very important.

Most states require an EIT (Engineer-In-Training) test before taking a state examination to become a Professional Engineer (PE).

Search the Internet for additional information about individual disciplines.